I grew an old pink currant some years ago, but have not tried Champagne. Thanks for the tip!

That's great. thanks :) There is also a winter pruning video if you are interested.

That is very true! If they have been neglected for some time, you may find you need to do some corrective/structural work in the winter pruning - there is a video on that here too :)

Regarding tomatoes, even though I set out to grow single stems, I often allow more than one stem to grow - it depends how they develop, but if they put on a lot of growth and there just happens to be a suitable extra shoot, I will often just tie it in and let it fruit. It can work fine for larger sorts too if the plant has been grafted and if it's in some good deep soil - the plants grow much taller/longer in commercial production than in a normal greenhouse so they can easily managed an extra shoot or two. It all depends on the vigour of the plant. The more important point is not letting the space get overcrowded - this reduces airflow and encourages disease - so that is really the limiting factor.

I did, but I didn't film it. The thinned bunches were far better - larger berries of better quality and far less prone to decay thanks to the better air flow. With this variety, it's not even close - Black Hamburg benefits hugely from thinning - which is a pity, as it is quite a chore!

That's great :)

That's interesting. I have not personally had any bad experience from using coir and have only read about the potential for high salt levels. However, I have not used it on its own, only in a mixture with other ingredients, and perhaps that might be why it hasn't been a problem for me. I have found that it can be a bit deceptive as far as watering is concerned - the top tends to dry out whilst the bottom remains moist and that can easily lead to overwatering, which doesn't help with germination or early root development. I wonder if there are supply problems now, with increasing use - before it was needed in such large quantities, one could readily find organic peat free compost of good quality at a decent price; when demand increased the price went up and the quality plummeted. I wonder if something similar may be happening with the quality of coir If it is sold for horticultural use it has to be fit for purpose.

Possibly, but spores spread so easily that there may be nothing that can be done to avoid it. Garlic (and other alliums) should be rotated and avoid applying too much nitrogen rich material - a soil that is high in nitrogen / low in potassium is best avoided. Otherwise, a early planting of an early maturing variety that ordinarily produces large bulbs/cloves will help ensure that even if you get hit with rust there is still something worth harvesting.

It is, and once you have it, it generally returns year after year :(

@@jonnyskitchengarden Oh no! I was hoping next year it'll be ok. 😕

It may help to rotate the crop to a piece of ground that has not grown garlic this year and to make sure that the soil does not have excessive amounts of nitrogen.

Good reasons to let them grow as they wish 👍

@@jonnyskitchengarden Hi Its me again😁 I did try trimming on stalk that had some damage. I cut as close to the stalk as possible now the result is that one of the 2 the shoots came back with force growing an incredible 11cm in 3 days. Its 30c so that might have an impact. Anyways just though I wuld share, and Im not taking any more off as I fear it will completley drain the plant trying to grow them back. Sorry for my english

It will be interesting to see whether the shoots are productive; there is likely a large root system there to support their rapid growth after removing the damaged stalk.

The only problem is when the rust brings the growing period to a premature end. The best solution for me was early planting of a fast maturing sort that ordinarily produces big bulbs; then if they get cut short a bit, there are still good sized bulbs to harvest :)

My harvest season is July. I planted last October. Not many grew big enough to make bulbs. So sad. My first time in 40 years of growing to have any problem

Are you Uk based? I’m wondering if rust is becoming more of an issue nowadays.

I don't know if it is more widespread now or we just hear more about it, but it does seem to be a rather common affliction. I would recommend trying Provence - without rust it is one of the largest of the softneck varieties and can produce huge bulbs. The individual cloves are so big that even when rust hits and the bulb itself isn't so large, the cloves are usually still a decent size for culinary purposes. I have had best results under cover (even though garlic really wants cold conditions through winter) in either greenhouse or polytunnel - they are easy enough to slip in where they won't interfere with the usual greenhouse/polytunnel crops, they seem less affected by the rust, and have consistently given me the best bulbs.

Thanks. I’ll have had reasonable success with Solent white in the past, tends to work well in the Uk. I also like the red duke for the strong taste. We need to find a way of countering this rust. Any remedies you are aware of aside from growing inside a tunnel ?

I've never had a stalker before 😂😂😂 I am missing the garden and making the videos - I'm still here reading comments, though :) Sadly, not too well this year so taking a break. Hopefully I can make some more videos later.

@@jonnyskitchengarden I’m sorry you’re not well but I’m glad you’re keeping your sense of humour. Look forward to seeing you back waffling again 🥰

@@jonnyskitchengarden Hope you start feeling better and fully recover soon. We miss you and only want the best for you.

Thank you! :)

Thanks! I'm not really sure as I have no experience of your climate, but I understand that it is a shorter growing season than here in southern England, so I would expect it to be sooner than here (at least, for well adapted varieties that ripen their wood in good time for the winter cold). It is one of those things that a couple of seasons worth of experience will show. If they are pruned early, no harm will be done, but there may be some secondary growth that needs to be pruned later in the year. In England we can get away with a single summer pruning; a region with a longer growing season may benefit from more, so having to address secondary growth is not a problem. The best indicator is the presence of the terminal buds on a majority of shoots; this shows that little more vegetative growth will be happening and pruning at this point should not result in lots of regrowth. This can vary by fruit (apples tend to be later than pears in my experience) and by variety - early fruiting sorts tend to pack up for winter earlier than those that mature later.

That one looks very tempting - thanks! :)

That's an interesting question. I have not heard that advice before so I'm not sure why anyone would recommend keeping a replacement half way up the branch - perhaps they have something in mind that I have not previously considered 🤷‍♂️ In a larger space - which these peaches would like to fill - there would be more framework and shorter fruiting branches but even then I don't see why one would not keep the replacements as near to the base as possible. My reason for doing so is simple - it keeps the framework compact, and the framework serves no useful purpose except to spread out and support the fruiting wood. If you end up using a replacement shoot half way along the current fruiting wood, it just extends the unproductive framework (as that wood will never fruit again) and reduces the amount of fruiting wood for next year. Over time, the length of fruiting wood diminishes (because we have limited space and the fan won't just keep getting bigger and bigger) and then more dramatic cuts are needed to renew unproductive portions of the tree - keeping the replacement shoots close to the base minimises this.

@@jonnyskitchengarden Ah, yes I'm with you! It is the reserve shoot that they're keeping half ways up. I wonder if this is so that it won't be in the way of the replacement shoot which they are keeping at the base? And maybe they just assume that in most cases one will be able to keep the replacement shoot at the base and prune off the reserve shoot at the end of summer. This is in the RHS "growing fruit" by Harry Baker. In "encyclopedia of organic gardening" it says to keep one shoot at the base and a replacement shoot 15cm up. But as you mention in one of your videos, most of these books give only brief instructions with not much reasoning behind the different choices. I've really found your videos an amazing complememnt to these text books. Thankyou!

Interesting, and thanks for the references. They should be good sources, but I must confess that I am not convinced by those suggestions. Sometimes it can be desirable to keep both replacement shoots, if space permits, and I don't see why I would want one further along the branch than it has to be. Sometimes one of replacements on the neighbouring fruiting branches fails, gets damaged, or grows poorly (or too vigorously!), and that can leave an empty space in the fan. I try to get one to each side of the fruiting branch just in case I want both and after harvest, when the final pruning is done, I can cut out the old wood and decide which of the replacements to keep.

Could you give a bit more information on the climate? How old is the tree and what is the rootstock (if known)? How has it been pruned in previous years?

​The reason is tree is for colder climate you need Peach variety with low Chilling requirement change it by grafting with a tree that blooms in your area

That could indeed be a reason for poor flowering. However, without further information one cannot say with certainty. If the tree was purchased locally one would expect it to be fairly suitable for the climate, and there are various reasons for not flowering. For example, it could simply be too young (depending somewhat on the rootstock), there could be something amiss in the cultivation, or the pruning approach may be removing much of the one year old wood that will carry the flowers. I was hoping some more details would be forthcoming to narrow down the cause.

Thanks very much for your comment. Unfortunately, I have been unwell so unable to do much in the garden this year. Hope to make some more videos later though.

@@jonnyskitchengarden❤

So pleased it was helpful :)

Depending how things go, we can certainly lack the warmth outdoors and the regular rainy days often bring blight, so we only grow under cover. The season must be a bit shorter than in the warmer regions of Italy, but when grown under glass they have plenty of heat - sometimes even more than is ideal - and during our tomato growing season we have somewhat longer days, albeit of less intense sunlight. My own experience has been that most varieties grow really well here and give great yields of flavoursome fruit. I have never been satisfied with the plum types, though, and perhaps they have different needs than these others, which seem to thrive here.

Cordons are definitely a great way to pack lots of varieties into a small space. I have laid mine down in the old fashioned way at around 45 degrees. The space between planting holes is around 36 inches / 900 cm which makes the gap between the parallel stems around 25 1/2 inches / 65 cm. I would suggest a minimum gap of 24 inches / 60 cm - they can be squeezed in a little closer but this spacing works well in my opinion. If you have a suitably long run, planting at an angle is beneficial, but if you are really short of space, you can planting them vertically, in which case the planting holes can be 24 inches / 60 cm apart. If you are able to lay them down towards 45 degrees you will have empty areas in the two opposite corners, so the plants at each end need to have a few extra branches trained in to fill the space (if you don't want it empty). If you do plant them vertically, you may need a more dwarfing rootstock and may need to shorten the main stem on planting to encourage bud break lower down the stem - there is a tendency for side shoots to develop only near the top of the main stem and that can leave bare patches that never get filled in. Quince tend to fruit on the tips so like tip bearing apples and pears, they are not really suitable for cordons and espaliers as the typically pruning regime would remove many of the fruit buds. It is best to stick with spur bearing sorts for this form.

Thanks :)

It is definitely a tricky business and there seems to be much variability in the seed. I end up sowing far more than I need in order to find enough to match reasonably well.

I prefer thinner wood to the more vigorous sort - it tends to be much more productive. I have never had any problem with broken branches - some need to be tied in, but they hold the peaches well. Eventually, they are thinned so that fruits are somewhere around six inches / 15 cm apart, for best fruit quality.

I have found pepper and chilli seed quite variable - some germinate past their date while others do not. No harm in trying - they are well worth it :) I give mine a soak for a few hours - it might help.

@jonnyskitchengarden Thanks for the advice. I will try it.

Thank you - glad you liked it 🙂

That’s an excellent question and one might think it is too extreme, but in practice the shoots that are left develop very quickly and it really isn’t long before the tree is covered with leaves. Only the old fruiting wood is left bare - the framework branches, new shoots, and terminal shoots are enough. In a larger space there would be more framework than I have here. The trees are so vigorous that it is hard to keep growth under control in a small space like this.

Thanks. I have a fairly young tree so a lot of the wood is fruiting.

Thanks :)

I have done in the past, but not recently.

I haven't tried parsley or coriander this way, but I imagine it will do ok 👍

That is undoubtedly the case and I imagine one might have to shift plantings by four to six weeks depending on your local conditions. One thing that has helped me to assess the growing conditions is a few of the small bluetooth temperature/humidity sensors. They are fairly cheap and you get a handy graph of temperature through the nights so it can help to decide when the time is right for an early planting. The thing with potatoes in a greenhouse or polytunnel is that growing conditions during the day can be good even early in the year. The challenge is usually keeping them frost free, rather than worrying about them actually growing well. Obviously it's no good when day time temperatures are consistently sub zero under cover but when those really harsh conditions have passed you could give it a go. To start with they are covered with soil, which protects them well, but when the shoots emerge, thick layers of fleece may be needed. Knowing that minimum night time temperature under cover is the key. When it dips to just -2 to -3 a layer of thick fleece should offer sufficient protection - thick fleece is much better than the really lightweight stuff and multiple layers is good too and may protect against even colder temperatures so long as they do not persist.

Sorry, I missed the question about watering. Potatoes have such flabby foliage that they will quickly tell you when they are thirsty. Until the shoots emerge they don't need much - just enough to stop the soil drying out completely - then like any other potted plant. On a sunny day, temperatures can really soar under cover so you have to keep an eye on that. It is equally important not to over water - depends a lot on the compost mix, but some can look dry on top and be soggy underneath - the tubers hate to be sat in wet compost. Always a good idea to have a root around below the surface or look at the underside of a pot to try to judge the moisture level lower down.

Thank you! I am doing ok, but have scaled back operations in the garden. Hopefully can do a few videos this year, though.

@@jonnyskitchengarden Do you still have your peach and cherry trees. I would love video on pruning them. I have watched your old videos about this subject but I still have a hard time with them. I have all my trees trained on a wall. Apples and Pears are straight forward but peaches and cherries just confuse me. Unfortunately I didn't grow up with fruit trees and had to learn by doing.

I do still have them, though I'm not sure whether I will be making further pruning videos right now. I am happy to try to answer any questions you might have, though. To start with, it depends what sort of cherry you have. Sweet cherries can be pruned much like plums and sour cherries much like peaches - the sour cherries and peach share that habit of only fruiting on the previous season's growth, whereas plums and sweet cherries will fruit on older wood. That is the factor that determines the approach to pruning.

Hi! Thanks very much for your comment. Yes, it has been a while. I do have a couple of videos planned, but unfortunately I have had to scale back due to dodgy health - the old ticker is being uncooperative... Hopefully better times ahead :) Hope you are well and looking forward to the new season.

Yes, that’s exactly what I do. I’ve never had any problems with it. You can get smaller bricks but they’re not as economical. I’ve kept the stuff in tubs for months without any problems - you may have to add water from time to time or it can dry out completely and then need to be rehydrated before use.

It’s amazing how much they absorb.

Yes, it depends on the growing conditions and the pruning. Started early in the year and grown on under good conditions, and then pruned to just two or three main stems, they will reach much greater heights than if started later and allowed to develop as a bush.

Thanks so much! :)

Yes, unfortunately that wouldn't help here as I run an organic garden, but that's just my personal preference. I have to accept a degree of loss to pests and disease 🤷‍♂️

When it comes to organic spray Neem oil if you can get it if you cant then do Hydrogen Peroxide at like 1 tablespoon per gallon and spray the plants it does kill some of the rust spores outside of that they are not in the soil no reason to worry about soilborne just remove infected leaves. @@jonnyskitchengarden

I keep things organic here so I don't use anything like that.

I do as well, but azoxy is one of the few fungicides that is still considered organic and registered for use as such as it comes from mushrooms therefore it meets organic certification in the US.@@jonnyskitchengarden

Thanks :)

Thank you! :)

Yes, you can. Peaches and nectarines are almost identical, it's just a recessive trait that gives nectarines their smooth skin. Selection has produced varieties with some minor differences - for example, nectarines tend to be a little less hardy and the fruit is typically a little smaller and more firm fleshed than peaches - but in cultivation, they are treated in exactly the same way :)

Yes, that can be a problem. I often buy from Seeds of Italy, then it's a case of hunting down the other varieties from various places. I have bought from Italian companies in the past - after brexit the most useful supply of obscure varieties I found no longer ships to the UK and others have proven unreliable - some I am certain are not the correct variety at all. It is a pity; there are still some UK suppliers with interesting sorts but it usually does involve a tedious search and buying from many different places.

Thank you! I have been distracted with other things lately - hopefully I can do some more videos later. I hope your fruit garden goes well - if you have any questions any time, I am happy to try to answer :)

@@jonnyskitchengarden I am trying to set up a fruit cage out of an old greenhouse (a bit like you did with your polytunnel. Please can you advise what netting you used and where you got it from for the top of your fruit cage.

Good idea. I'm not certain but I think it was from here: www.gardening-naturally.com/anti-bird-netting. They have all sorts of mesh and netting in lots of different sizes. One thing about an old greenhouse is that it can lack some rigidity without the glass in place - although there won't be much wind resistance - so it might help to add some extra diagonal bracing (aluminium angle or some wooden batten).

Those varieties typically used (at least commercially) as rootstocks are F1 hybrids, so they will not come true from saved seed. In general, I much prefer old open pollinated varieties, but for the rootstock I am not aware of any that have similar properties, though I would be interested to hear if there are. It is possible that some selection from wild stock might serve well but that is just speculation on my part.

I'm glad you found it useful :) The most important pruning for fruit development is carried out in late summer - I have a video on that too: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jNZ7e7WUs8fXg2Q.html. The summer pruning looks quite drastic - almost all of the new growth needs to be removed - but it is the secret to really productive cordons and fortunately is a very simple task. In another video I show the benefits of summer pruning and the amount of productive fruiting wood that it can produce: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nqmCe72LqdHVgmQ.html.

Late May or early June is probably ideal. I checked an old sowing plan and had them down for the first week or two of June. I would recommend sowing direct so as not to disturb the taproot.

Yes, that's another good point. Makes the plants easier to protect as well, should that be necessary.